Men's Basketball Draws St. Peter's in BracketBusters

The University of Hartford men’s basketball team learned that Saint Peter’s College will be its opponent in the upcoming 2012 ESPN Sears BracketBusters, as announced by ESPN.

The Hawks will make the 130-mile trek to Jersey City, N.J., on Saturday, February 18, three weeks prior to Selection Sunday, for a 2 p.m. showdown. The Peacocks will then make a return visit to Hartford in November or December of the 2013-14 season.

Hartford and Saint Peter’s will meet for the seventh time in the Division I histories of both schools. The teams last met during the 1997-98 season with Saint Peter’s coming away with an 87-71 victory on its home court. Hartford’s lone win in the all-time series was in 1996-97, when the Hawks recorded an 81-69 overtime victory.

For the first time in America East history, all nine of the conference’s men’s basketball programs are eligible for Sears BracketBusters. Binghamton, Boston University, UMBC and Stony Brook join the Hawks on the road while Albany, Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont serve as home teams for the event.

Teams participating in this year’s Sears BracketBusters have produced 89 appearances in the last six NCAA Championships, including Albany in 2006 and 2007, UMBC in 2008, Binghamton in 2009, Vermont in 2010, and Boston University in 2011. The 142-team field features schools from 16 conferences.

This is Hartford’s second appearance in BracketBusters. The Hawks lost at Marist in their BracketBusters debut in 2009.